The scientists have found that the brain of people who are constantly sitting on a diet, starts to “devour” itself. At the same time the feeling of hunger gets only worse. This is due to the fact that the cells do not receive adequate nutrition.
According to the study conducted at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, brain cells begin to eat themselves to take advantage of the last source of energy available. This process is called autophagy, and it leads to degrading of the internal components of the cell.
Experiments on mice deprived of food have shown that if the process of autophagy is hindered, hunger will not intensify. Chemical changes in the brain of mice led to the fact that the animals significantly lost weight, without feeling hungry.
The discovery, as the researchers believe, will create an effective therapy aimed at weight loss. For example, it is possible to develop specific drugs that have to be taken during the diet. And the appetite can be controlled by chemical influence on brain cells, as the authors of the study believe.
Source of the image: Photl.
